CHAPTER 3: THE MORGUE

I woke up sweating. I was gasping for air to breathe and I heard a woman crying beside me. I immediately removed the blanket and plastic that was covering me and I saw my mom crying beside me. She is the woman that I heard crying. Her eyes were swollen because of crying too much. I looked at her and she was looking at me too. Scared, shocked, and emotionless. She froze when she saw me and I guess she didn't know what to do if she will scream or run away. 

“What’s going on?” I asked while looking around. My throat and lips are dry, which is why my voice is a little husky. I am in a room that I cannot recognize with her. I am lying on a tile that looks like a bed. I am inside the half-closed body bag and I am naked. I have a bracelet too with my name and a date on it. I tried to walk but I am too weak. My legs are shaking. I can’t even stand up but still, I am forcing myself to stand. 

“Mom” I called her but she was not answering. She is surprised while looking at me as if she was looking at the ghost. I saw her eyes open wide and her jaw dropped. She is not even moving or saying something. She wiped her tears when she heard me call her again. She doesn't know if she will walk near me. It seems like her feet were glued to the floor but I can feel the excitement in her. The excitement of a mother who found her lost child; who comes back to her after a long time. 

“Mom” I called again in a weak voice while still looking around and she immediately walked near me as if my voice was like a snap that unfroze her and wrapped my naked body with the blanket that fell on the floor that looks like a blanket that’s covering me from the other world. I looked at my mom just to make sure that my eyes and my brain were not tricking me. I want to make sure that I am no longer in the place that I’ve been. The smell of sulfur and burning flesh is gone. The voices are gone too except for the weep that I can hear from outside. My mom looked at me and she also helped me stand properly. I feel so tired. My legs are still shaking and I almost fall down without my mother’s help.  I feel like I am from endless travel. From a long journey. I looked at her in the eyes and I could see that she was still shocked.

“What’s going on mom?” I asked again because of the way she looked at me. Makes me nervous that something terrible happened. 

“Where am I?” I asked her while still looking around but she did not answer. It seems that she can’t believe in what she is witnessing. I looked back at her and I saw her sign of the cross.

“Mom,” I called. still in a weak voice. I feel very hungry and very thirsty too.

“I am hungry and thirsty,” I told her but she is not talking.

“Mom, please,” I begged. That brings her senses. She immediately walked near me and helped me.

“Where am I?” I asked while she was still helping me. She touched my face and looked at me and then hugged me. She couldn’t believe that I am here beside her. Her eyes meet mine and it seems that she can’t believe that I am standing in front of her.

“You are alive” She whispered and she almost cried. I looked at her because she sounds weird. Of course, I am alive.

“What’s going on?” I asked again. She made me sit on the bed tiles and looked at me seriously. She takes a deep breath because I know she doesn't know where to start telling me what happened.

“The bus that you were riding with your friends and Jayvee” She started and took a deep breath again while still looking at me. 

“Fell off the cliff” She added and waited for my reaction but I am still absorbing what she said. She takes a deep breath again and holds my hand.

“Everybody died… including you,” She said in almost a whisper. I shook my head because I couldn't believe what I heard. When a scene flashes in my head about the falling bus. I start remembering what happened.

“What?” I asked her while looking straight into her eyes.

“Yes, Honey, They are all dead and I am lucky because you came back from death” She answered and almost cried because she was happy that I am alive.

“All of us?” I asked again

“But not anymore… because you are alive… you are the only survivor... God gave you back” She said while crying but she didn’t understand. I don’t want Jayvee dead. 

“Did you see this bracelet?” She asked me and showed me the bracelet that I am wearing

“It is a death tag honey. your name and the date of your death were written on it… we’re in the morgue” I looked at the death tag that my mom is telling me and my name is written on it. I shook my head because I couldn't believe what was happening. I believe my mom but this time I can’t believe what she is telling me. That is why I looked at her straight from her eyes and she hugged and kissed me again while saying.

“God is good, baby, He gave you back,” She said while the tears of joy continued falling from her eyes. 

“Where is Jayvee?” I asked her while my heart beat fast because I cannot believe that Jayvee is dead because he didn’t survive the accident, but my mom didn’t answer. She just sighs and looks down.

“No, mom, you are just joking,” I said and my tears slowly fell from my cheek. My mom didn’t answer and her tears fell from her cheeks too. Maybe she doesn't know how to tell me that the man that I love is already dead but she just nodded while crying, telling me that she is telling the truth that Jayvee is gone.

I heard cries from outside the room where I and my mom were. I immediately stand up and walk to the door even though I still feel weak. I want to witness with my own eyes what is really going on.  I looked around and I saw a bunch of people crying and mourning. What is going on? I asked myself while looking around and listening to their cries. I walk out of the room while my mom is following me. I saw Camille lying dead while her family was crying over her. She has a death tag too like mine.

“No,” I whispered when I saw my best friend lying dead. There’s a possibility that my mom is not joking with me but I still need to find Jayvee to witness it with my own eyes. I need to see him before believing that he is really gone. I keep on walking while my mom keeps on following me. With the blanket that is covering my body. I don’t care as long as I will find Jayvee and see with my bare naked eyes that he is already dead. Otherwise, I will not believe what my mom told me. 

People inside the morgue are looking at me and they start murmuring. I know they are surprised because I came back from death like Lazarus and now I am walking in front of them but that is not important this time. What’s important is I need to find Jayvee. 

I saw Nestle too and then Josh and the driver and Aimee and all the others. All of them were already dead and then there is a room at the end. I heard someone is weeping too and I slowly walk while my tears are already falling and my heart is beating. I feel nervous to see the next scene. To find out who is lying dead inside. I stand at the door and look inside. I saw Jayvee’s mom weeping, sitting on the floor. She can’t breathe properly anymore because of the pain of losing someone. I saw his dad too. Sitting at the corner; like his mom. He is crying too. I feel the heavy emotion in an instant. I want to break down but I keep myself strong. I went inside the room shaking because I am nervous to see who is lying dead inside the body bag while praying that it is not Jayvee. My mom followed me. She is walking behind me, ready to comfort me if ever I break down. I opened the body bag while my hands were shaking and my tears kept on falling. I closed my eyes for a few seconds to hold my emotion when I saw who was inside the body bag and…

“Nooo!!!” I screamed in pain. It was Jayvee lying dead inside the bag. I hugged him and tried to wake him up. Hoping for a miracle that he will come back to life like what happened to me.

“Jayvee, please” I begged,

“Please, please, Heaven wake up” I cried,

“Please, please wake up!!!” I screamed,

I keep on touching his face, kissing him, and hugging him. While still hoping for a miracle. I cry hard and loud because maybe God will give him back to me if he hears my cries. We have a lot of plans for the future. The wedding, the family that we want to build, the promises of growing old together. All of it was gone in just one accident. I looked at him while still crying, weeping, and mourning in pain of losing him. I cannot describe the pain that I am feeling right now. I feel like I want to die if he does not come back from death. 

I breakdown. I am sitting on the floor now because of the pain of losing him while my mom is touching me, hugging me and she is weeping too like me. She can feel my pain. She knows how to hurt it is to lose someone that you loved. The one that is supposed to grow old with. I can’t breathe because I'm crying too much and I feel like I will pass out. The pain of seeing the man I love die in front of me is killing me. 

“Heaven… Jayvee” I wept.

“Please, wake up,” I begged.

When I suddenly saw him sit down with his eyes closed and half of the bag covering him. I stopped crying for a while because I am surprised that he is back. He went back from the dead like me. I immediately stand up and hug him but I can't hug him. My hand just infiltrated him. I tried to hug him again but it was still the same. He is just like a hologram sitting in front of me with his eyes closed. I cannot touch him, I cannot hug him. 

“No,” I whispered. I looked at him and I saw him still lying inside the body bag. I shook my head because maybe my eyes are just tricking me. I saw him stand up and slowly walk away still with his eyes closed. 

“Heaven” I called him but it seems that he can’t hear me. He didn’t even dare to look at me. I saw his body still lying inside the bag and only his soul was walking. He walks out the door with his eyes still closed. As if he is being hypnotized. 

“No.... no… no” I whispered and I followed him. He went to the hallway. He stopped. I saw the girl who saved me hold his hand and she looked at me and then looked at Jayvee and together they walked away. I saw the others walking too. Following them. Camille, Nestle, Josh, Aimee, The driver and the rest of the team. Their eyes were all closed while walking following the girl who was holding Jayvee’s hand. They walked like they were hypnotized. They were all naked. I feel goosebumps and I can't believe what my eyes can see right now. I know I am the only one who can see them. The huge, black door suddenly appeared. They went inside there one by one. I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know where they are going but I know I cannot stop them.